As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Dominik F. Hesse is the founder and Managing Partner of the Cannonball Group. Having lived in London and New York for over 10 years, Dominik possesses more than 18 years of international management and investment experience.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Ferdinand Schneider contributes over 30 years’ experience working in various industries and asset classes to Cannonball. He developed reorganisation and strategic reorientation as his key competencies being an entrepreneur and consultant since 1989.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Hans W. Reich is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Citigroup Global Markets Deutschland AG. He is also member of the European Advisory Board of Citigroup and was for many years CEO of KfW. In his career, he held various supervisory board member positions in DAX corporations like Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post and ThyssenKrupp.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Robert Salzl advises the Schörghuber Foundation in Munich, having been an active member of the foundation’s board until summer 2014.
Mr. Salzl supports Cannonball’s efforts to develop client relations in Europe and actively advises on investment opportunities.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Pietro Cinquegrana is Managing Director with Aleph Capital Partners and has over 25 years of international experience in private equity. He worked for well-known institutions such as Fosun, Apollo, MorganStanley and Goldman Sachs.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Prof. Dr. Franz Isselstein is co-founder and CEO of Radios AG and has in this position successfully advised institutional investors and family offices on investments in public and private equity over recent years.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Dr. med. Dominik Pförringer is a consultant and medical doctor. After leaving Bain, Dr. Pförringer has been working as a trauma surgeon and DRG specialist in Munich University Hospital „Rechts der Isar“ since 2013 as well as serving as a senior advisor.

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals.

Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor. Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of investments over a range of asset classes.

As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Florian Hirschmann is a lawyer and partner at DLA Piper in Munich. As an advisor to the Cannonball Group he actively advises on investments and structuring, as well as acting as an active sparring partner.

Who we are

Cannonball is an investment office established by finance and industry professionals. Our portfolio is tailored towards the entrepreneurial-minded and long-term investor.

Our area of expertise lies in execution and management of direct investments in a select few asset classes. As a partnership-led investment office we accompany our capital investors to investment success.

Our independence enables us to co-invest and effectively places us in the same boat as our clients. We seek profit alongside our investor, rather than from him. From this collective success, trust and a long term relationship is developed.

Philosophy

Our name Cannonball serves as a daily reminder of the personality of the American Saxophonist Cannonball Adderley (1928-1975), the legendary founder/father of „Soul Jazz“. This innovative music style combines open, situational communication between individual musicians, who spontaneously bring music into the team, with the collective principle of „Soul-orientation“, which one can also interpret as „with more soul“

Adderley founded his own combos, but also played in All Star Bands with the greats of his time: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Joe Zawinul were amongst his contemporaries and companions.

The team of partners and their art of interaction can also be likened to a symbol of an All-Star-Band: A small group of experienced and profiled personalities work together like a well-rehearsed orchestra, to be able to react to the individual requirements of the client and finding bespoke solutions.

Our focus

We are specialised in the following areas and execute structured investments in established as well as in developing markets.

Direct Private Investments

Alternative Investments

Strategic & Tactical Asset Allocation

Company

We are a specialised investment office. As an owner-led company we operate independently from other organisations. Our partners and advisory board members are experienced entrepreneurs and investment experts.

Cannonball is a registered trademark and trading name of Cannonball Capital GmbH, founded in 2011 and based in Munich. We cover the international market through reliable partners and our senior advisors.

Positioning

As an investment office, in the area of financial markets, we are a special blend of investor and consultant. All partners have entrepreneurial experience. We are defined by our aspiration to build long-term relationships with our clients, who in turn, trust us to work alongside them to realise projects and co-invest.

We are happy to work together with other market players. We are not in competition with banks or family offices, but we support and complement them. In this way, we concentrate on clearly defined investment types. That is reflected in our engagement of an exclusive circle of clients and their supporting infrastructure.

Values

The aim of our business is not short term gain, but sustainable wealth development. For us the foundations for the long-term success of our business are utmost discretion, transparency and reliability.

We would like to achieve profits with – and not from – our clients. Our work ethic is defined by this, as well also our moral perspective. To apply this in our daily business, is just as important to us as the actual service we provide.

We are convinced that successful partnerships are shaped by individuals, who bring a broad international experience. Our team has this experience and we strive continuously towards expanding our diversification.

What we do

We source, analyse, structure and accompany investments. Together with our clients we manage the investment process and thereby develop the best-possible investment decision. After execution, we follow the progress of the investment and oversee this constantly: strategically, tactically – as well as operationally – until divestment.

We co-invest with our clients. This is, alongside our personal connections, the basis of confidence for extending and deepening a long term relationship.

Our services

As an investment office, we concentrate, on our client’s behalf, on all aspects of the life cycle of entrepreneurial Investment forms, for example direct/co-investments. The focus lies on strategic and tactical asset allocation, investments in companies as well as alternative assets.

We offer all facets of direct, entrepreneurial investment – in many cases also encompassing consulting our investor client. This is especially important when our principal’s advice to the business is critical to the increase in return.

Co-Investments

We co-invest! As far as it is practical and desired from clients, we pursue the aim of committing our own money to investments we suggest to our clients. We believe that by reassuring our clients that we are „sitting in the same boat“, we can demonstrate that we are equally incentivised and serious about our business.

Particularly well suited for co-investments are direct investments and entrepreneurial participations. The prerequisite for this is reciprocal trust, grown out of an open dialogue with our clients.

To be directly involved, one needs not only entrepreneurial instinct, but also the support of a professional team, a careful selection of asset classes and constant fine tuning to the investment horizon.

The Investment cycle

Our service provision extends over the life cycle of an investment. The Cannonball partners are entrepreneurs, as well as specialists and generalists. Their experience qualifies them to recognise interactions between various disciplines and adjust the course accordingly. Every partner looks beyond confines of their speciality and sets themselves apart from other service providers.

How we work

We serve our clients individually, personally and cost efficiently. Because we strictly defend their interests, we are aiming to achieve a long term partnership and a relationship based on trust.

Our independence allows us to take advantage of the best available solutions on the market. Strategically we orientate ourselves by fundamental values and provide for suitable safety margins. We keep away from assets, which we don’t understand and are cautious when it comes to accepting leverage.

We try to remove market-driven emotions from the decision making process and instead focus on rational and efficient investment structures. For us, an anticyclical approach and macro-economic long-term trends are the basis for sustainable investment decisions.

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Partners

The Cannonball partners have demonstrated their capabilities in theory as well as in practice. They are experts for specialised Investment and Asset Management, particularly in the areas of strategic, financial and operational analysis and valuation of investment opportunities.

Alongside exceptional professional competence, business experience is the deciding qualification in the investment office. The success and financial independence enable us to react as critical decision makers and entrepreneurial sparring partners.

As a constant and responsible partner, we are personal advisers to our clients.

Dominik F. Hesse

Dominik F. Hesse is the founder and Managing Partner of Cannonball Capital. Having lived in London and New York for over 10 years, Dominik possesses more than 18 years of international management and investment experience. His most recent role was for a Family Investment company in Monaco, where he spent over 6 years as CFO and Head of Business Development. During his employment, Dominik contributed significantly to the quadrupling of the NAV and was instrumental in ensuring that the company deleveraged completely and was safeguarded before the financial crisis.

Dominik has worked exclusively for family companies and specialises in Value Investing with a focus on execution. He has been active in the fields of shipping, private equity and real estate.

Dominik holds MBA degrees from Columbia Business School (Beta Gamma Sigma) in New York, London Business School (Distinction) and a Master of Science from Cass Business School in London.

As alumnus of the World Young Leader Forum and two Europe-Asia Young Leader Forums Dominik has, in combination with his Alma Mater, an international and diverse network. He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and the Institute of Logistics and Transport (both London) and has a completed apprenticeship as a Shipping Merchant.

Away from the business arena, he has been actively involved for several years with „Die Komplizen“, which offers a charitable mentoring service for high school students.

Frederic Hierl

Frederic Hierl joined the Cannonball Group as Equity Partner at the beginning of 2015. He adds deep transaction know-how and a pan-European network to the group covering the areas of private equity, private debt and corporate finance.

Since 2003 he has been active in the field of private investments and has executed transactions of more than EUR 300m of debt and equity in various businesses with a focus on European mid caps (Germany, Italy, France, Spain).

Frederic also worked for a leading European investment bank, European turn-around investors and a Swiss private debt fund.

He has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Innsbruck, Austria and speaks German, English and French fluently.

Ferdinand Schneider

Ferdinand Schneider brings over 30 years of experience to Cannonball, spanning a multitude of industries and asset classes. Since 1989 he has worked as an independent entrepreneur and management consultant for, amongst others, a Swiss Venture Capital Fund, for whom he restructured an investment in Canada’s third largest drinks manufacturer. He represented PwC at the beginning of the nineties with various financial restructurings, followed by the consolidation of one of the largest international car suppliers. Following this, he successfully led several reorganisations and devised strategy and succession concepts in the fields of Pharmaceuticals, Petroleum and Hardware. An important part of his remit was to assist management and partners, during strategic reorientation or company sale. At the beginning of 2002 he began advising the CFO of one of the largest German welfare organisations in the matter of new investments.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, he spent over 7 years on the executive board of an international manufacturer of cable machinery equipment (Ericsson group), as well as a steel trading company in Sweden, with global responsibility for Sales and Marketing. He was enlisted by a well-known US Asset Management Company for their German subsidiary, with responsibility for the Scandinavian market. He has worked in the Financial Services sector for many years, most recently as acting CEO of a renowned English Asset Management company within the HSBC corporation.

From 2004 to 2012, alongside his entrepreneurial activities, he built up NFTE Deutschland e. V. (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), acting as CEO. NFTE is a globally active „Not for profit“ organisation, which concerns itself with the education of young people from socially disadvantaged circumstances.

Ferdinand has a degree in Law and Economics (Lic.rer.pol) from the University of Bern and is a Certified Entrepreneurial Teacher Instructor. In addition he is an Insead-Alumni (Social Entrepreneur ISEP) and for many years he was registered by virtue of his Exams in Stock and Commodity Trading by the SEC and the NYSE.

Advisory Board

Our advisory board is not only of paramount importance to the Cannonball Group but also to our clients.

With their many years of expertise and strong network, the board members provide advice and support to the partners. They are also actively engaged in steering Cannonball’s strategic positioning. Their proximity to the market and its participants enables them to provide additional guidance to the partners in a variety of matters.

Of critical importance is the board’s ability to bring a fresh perspective to decisions on investment themes. In principal, they are free to work on behalf of Cannonball and acquire mandates.

Pietro Cinquegrana

Pietro Cinquegrana has over 23 years of international experience in investing, advisory and consulting. He is Managing Director of Aleph Capital Partners, London. Until October 2012, Pietro was a Managing Director at Fosun-Pramerica Fund – a US$600 million private equity fund managed by Fosun International, a Chinese investment holding company – with a focus on investing in European niche-leading companies.

Previously, between 2009 and 2011, Pietro was a Managing Director at Apollo Global Management – as Head of Acquisitions in their Hong Kong office – and a Managing Director of Holdfast Capital Limited in Hong Kong, which was bought by Apollo.

Prior to moving to Asia in 2009, Pietro lived in the U.S. for over 18 years. Between 2007 and 2009, he worked for two years at Ospraie Special Opportunities, a US$1.2 billion private equity and special situations fund based in New York. From 1994 to 2005, Pietro worked at Morgan Stanley in various capacities: between 1999 and 2005, he was an Executive Director in Princes Gate Investors, a US$1.2 billion private equity fund closely affiliated with Morgan Stanley.

Previously, he was a Vice President in the M&A Department, and was a member of the three-person team that raised and invested the Morgan Stanley Bridge Fund, a US$600 million bridge loan fund (1995-1997). Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Pietro worked at Seacor Holdings Inc., was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group Corp, Inc. from 1993 to 1994, and a Financial Analyst in the Corporate Finance Department of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in London from 1989 to 1991.

Pietro has been a board member of several companies, including Core Metals Group (private company), GST Telecommunications (publicly listed company) and two private joint ventures.

Pietro received an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Serafino Ferruzzi scholar. He received a M.Sc. in Economics from Oxford University and a B.Sc. in Monetary Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Pietro is fluent in English, Italian, and French, and holds both U.S. and Italian citizenships.

Florian Hirschmann

Florian Hirschmann is a lawyer and partner at DLA Piper in Munich, advising financial investors as well as strategic investors in the field of corporate law, with a focus on national and international private equity and M&A transactions, venture capital and joint ventures. As an advisor to the Cannonball Group he actively advises on investments and structuring, as well as acting as an active sparring partner.

Prior to his move to DLA Piper in 2014, Florian worked as a partner for a well-known and leading American and English law firms in Munich and Frankfurt.

Florian completed his studies at the Universities of Frankfurt a. M, Cambridge and Milan. He holds a completed apprenticeship as an industrial manager and speaks fluent English and Spanish.

A selection of transactions Florian has provided legal advice on are:

Consulting Pro7Sat1 Media AG in the acquisition of Sonoma (Amorelie)

Consulting the market leader in the field of laser technology in the planned acquisition of a German automation company

Advising an English pharmaceutical company in founding a Joint venture with a German medical-technology company for the DACH market

Consulting Mobile Ventures (VC company of Drillisch AG) in a financing project for PipesBox

Prof. Dr. Franz Isselstein

Prof. Dr. Franz Isselstein is co-founder and CEO of Radios AG and has in this position successfully advised institutional investors and family offices on investments in public and private equity. Radios is a provider of analytical tools for company valuation and serves equity analysts and fund managers worldwide. Through its ValueSimulatorTM platform Radios delivers fundamental valuation models and real-time event driven intelligence and analyses to buy-side institutions worldwide. Radios has developed data interfaces with Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg and EDGAR and covers 30.000+ companies worldwide.

Prior to founding Radios Franz was a director of strategy within Deutsche Bank’s global investment banking business with the mandate to build a portfolio of strategic ventures and develop e-commerce initiatives operating out of London between 2000 and 2004. Prior to this position he was involved as a Senior Associate Director at Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Strategy Group in Frankfurt in important corporate strategy issues. In 1999, he was a core member of the Bankers Trust acquisition team.

He commenced his investment banking career in corporate finance and worked from 1994 at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell’s investment banking division where he was involved in numerous significant merger and equity capital market transactions.

Franz is a Professor of Finance at IUBH School of Business and Management in Bad Honnef/Germany. His research focus is on Tactical Asset Allocation and Behavioral Finance.

Franz holds a Ph.D. in economics, a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Cologne, in Germany and a CEMS Master’s degree from HEC in Paris.

Dr. med. Dominik Pförringer

Dr. med. Dominik Pförringer was born and raised in Munich, before moving to California where he graduated from high school. Returning to Europe, he studied Medicine at Regensburg University and gained his PhD in Munich. He is a medical specialist for orthopaedics and trauma surgery.

In 2010, after successfully completing his MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau and Singapore, he joined Bain & Company where he was engaged within their healthcare practice. Within this role, he consulted hospitals, pharma players, insurance companies as well as private equity teams in the healthcare sector.

In 2010, Dr. Pförringer was selected to join the Young Leaders Programme of the Atlantik Brücke, a transatlantic organization strengthening economic and political relationships. He has since been a strong supporter and active leader within the YL alumni programme.

In addition Dr. Pförringer regularly lectures on diverse health economics and hospital management topics at national and international conferences and conducts research in the field of hospital process optimization.

Thanks to the diversity of his roles, activities and academic degrees, he has established an international network over a broad range of business sectors, mainly within healthcare, which he enjoys and actively maintains.

Since 2013, Dr. Pförringer has been working as a trauma surgeon and DRG specialist in Munich University Hospital „Rechts der Isar“ as well as serving as a senior advisor.

Hans W. Reich (Chairman)

Hans W. Reich is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Citigroup Global Markets German Corporation and has been Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Bank since October 2008. He is also member of the European Advisory Board to Citigroup.

Moreover Hans W. Reich is member of the International Advisory Council of the Chinese Development Bank, as well as Hon. Chairman, Financial and Investment Committee Charoen Pokphand Group Co. Ltd, Bangkok, Thailand.

Furthermore, he is Member of the Board for the Foundation of Capital Markets Research, Frankfurt (since 2004)

Prior to joining Citigroup Mr. Reich was Chairman of the Board of the KfW Bank Group (1999-2006) as well as Member of the Board from 1990-1999. He began his KfW career in 1966 in the field of Export and Project Financing.

During a career spanning over 56 years, he has brought his expertise and experience to the following supervisory and advisory boards:

Thyssen Krupp AG, Duisburg 2000-2010

Ruhrkohle AG, Essen 2000-2005

IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, Duesseldorf 1999-2006

HuK Coburg VaaG, Coburg 2000-2011

Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn 1999-2006

Deutsche Post AG, Bonn 2000-2006

Depfa plc, Dublin 2002-2006

Aareal-Bank AG, Wiesbaden 2002- 2013

Deutsche Afrika-Linien, Hamburg 2002-2009

WestLB, Duesseldorf 2005-2007

Fraport AG, Frankfurt 2003-2010

Robert Salzl

Robert Salzl advises the Schörghuber Foundation in Munich, having been an active member of the foundation’s board until summer 2014.

From 1996-2006 he was member of the board of the Schörghuber Group where he oversaw the hotel and aircraft leasing business units as well as all central-purchasing activities. The group is involved in hotels (Arabella Hotels), beverages (Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Kulmbacher etc.), real estate development (Bayerische Hausbau) and investments and seafood.

From 1962 to 1996, he was a flight captain and part of the senior management of Lufthansa German Airlines and, in his last position as Chief Pilot, responsible for all flight operations.

He is supervisory board and committee member of a few select companies, institutions and associations.